Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmrita Madhya 20.165

svayam-rūpa, tad-ekātma-rūpa, āveśa — nāma

prathamei tina-rūpe rahena bhagavān

SYNONYMS

svayam-rūpa — the original form; tat-ekātma-rūpa — the same form, nondifferent from svayam-rūpa; āveśa — especially empowered; nāma — named; prathamei — in the beginning; tina-rūpe — in three forms; rahena — remains; bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead exists in three principal forms — svayam-rūpa, tad-ekātma-rūpa and āveśa-rūpa.

PURPORT

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has described the svayam-rūpa in his Laghu-bhāgavatāmrita, Pūrva-khanda, verse 12: ananyāpekshi yad rūpam svayam-rūpah sa ucyate. "The form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that does not depend on other forms is called the svayam-rūpa, the original form." This form is also described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: krishnas tu bhagavān svayam (1.3.28). "Krishna is the original form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." That Krishna's form as a cowherd boy in Vrindāvana is the original form of the Personality of Godhead (svayam-rūpa) is confirmed in the Brahma-samhitā (5.1):

īśvarah paramah krishnah sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahah

anādir ādir govindah sarva-kārana-kāranam

There is nothing superior to Govinda. He is the ultimate source and the cause of all causes. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.7), where the Lord says, mattah parataram nānyat: "There is no truth superior to Me.

The tad-ekātma-rūpa forms are also described in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmrita (Pūrva-khanda, verse 14):

yad rūpam tad-abhedena svarūpena virājate

ākrityādibhir anyādrik sa tad-ekātma-rūpakah

"The tad-ekātma-rūpa forms exist simultaneously with the svayam-rūpa form and are nondifferent. At the same time, their bodily features and specific activities appear to be different." The tad-ekātma-rūpa forms are divided into two categories — svāmśa and vilāsa.

Lord Krishna's āveśa forms are also explained in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmrita (Pūrva 18):

jñāna-śakty-ādi-kalayā yatrāvishto janārdanah

ta āveśā nigadyante jīvā eva mahattamāh

"A living entity who is specifically empowered by the Lord with knowledge or strength is technically called āveśa-rūpa." As stated in the Caitanya-caritāmrita (Antya 7.11), krishna-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana: Unless a devotee is specifically empowered by the Lord, he cannot preach the holy name of the Lord all over the world. This is an explanation of the word āveśa-rūpa.

<<< >>>

Copyright ©r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness